Rain expected to aid efforts further as Garnet Fire closes in on full containment

Avocado Lake Park reopened to the public Thursday morning and Wishon Village reported that its campground was completely safe, the latest signs that the biggest dangers from the wildfire burning in northeast Fresno County are over.

As of Thursday morning, the Garnet Fire was 89% contained and its size was 60,263 acres, according to Cal Fire.

In addition, the U.S. Forest Service-Sierra National Forest reported that no giant Sequoias have been destroyed.

And with rain expected to pour in the area, fire crews were working to take advantage of Mother Nature’s help.

“We’re getting ready for that rain,” said Donald Fregulia, operations section chief. “We’re making sure that we try to put as much water bars as we possibly can on this fire to try to channel that water.

“It’s really going to mitigate fire behavior out there.”

Nonetheless, the fire continues to smolder, aided by warmer weather with heavy fuels burning and occasional isolated torching where snags are present, according to the U.S. Forest Service-Sierra National Forest.

The wildfire has continued to burn dense, matted grasses at lower elevations as its primary source of fuel.

“Yesterday, only minimal fire activity was observed, and the fire remained within its current containment lines,” the U.S. National Forest wrote. “Today, crews will continue to mop up and monitor the northern side, searching for any lingering hotspots or burning materials along the edge of the fire.”

Fregulia added that the burning fire is “doing a lot of good out there actually for the ecosystem.”

“Fire behavior continues here on the north end of the fire to back down,” Fregulia said. “The stuff that we lit off the McKinley Grove Road (on Wednesday) was actively backing. That basically means the fire is backing down the drainage. Fire is looking good - not a ton of head fire.

“That’s where a fire is burning straight up a hill. This fire is backing down the hill, it’s doing a lot of good out there actually for the ecosystem. And so we expect that to get severely mitigated today with the rain.”

Despite the expected help of rain, evacuation orders remained in effect for the following zones:

• K27
• K29
• K30
• K31

And evacuation warnings were issued for zones K28 and K32A.

The Garnet Fire has been burning since Aug. 24 due to a lightning strike through parts of the Sierra National Forest.

It has raged through an area from the Kings River at the southern edge to McKinley Grove at the northern edge, as well as from Fence Meadows on the west past Black Rock Reservoir in the east.